Starbucks takes coffee experiences to new level

Starbucks, the leading American coffee chain, is looking to offer its customers something more than just the taste of its freshly brewed coffee and never-ending lines. It is taking the experience to the next level, engaging not just our sense of taste but also sight, smell and touch.

Starbucks is all set to open its largest coffeehouse yet in the swanky Manhattan Meatpacking District in 2018. The coffee shop will be erected on a “Roastery” model, which involves a roasting station within the store, according to Starbucks Newsroom. The decision-makers hope to change the vibe of a regular Starbucks while simultaneously enabling their customers to learn something about coffee while they are visiting and waiting.

While this is Starbucks’ largest store opening, it is not the first Roastery model. The company experimented with the design in 2014 in Seattle, Mashable reported. It is still, however, one of a kind.

I think this idea is great. It just works. Think about it: Starbucks is synonymous with long wait times. If nothing can be done to reduce that pain, at least this business plan is a sweet consolation. For a coffee lover like myself (I border on being an addict from time to time), the concept of engaging all five senses in the process of getting my morning caffeine kick is simply fantastic.

It’s also about time the neighborhood Starbucks got a makeover. With the rising competition from local coffeehouses, it was a long time coming. Starbucks, without a doubt, has a fascinatingly large number of loyal customers, especially since the advent of its loyalty program. Even the best need to try something new to not only retain their regular customers as well as acquire new ones. Starbucks fell very comfortably in the section marked convenient and reliable. Now, it is trying to be trendy and extravagant.

From the sound of it, the reformed Starbucks will attract more than just college kids and young professionals. Standing nine stories tall in the high-fashion district of fast-paced New York City, according to Starbucks Newsroom, this location is already appealing to the stylish elite dressed in the finest threads.

Given that the Big Apple is already home to a solid 220 Starbucks locations, Fortune reported, the real challenge will be to get the traffic coming regularly to the new location. A new store is always fun to check out, but the real ordeal will be to ensure a steady flow of customers. The idea of the new location being more like a museum of coffee than a larger-than-life coffeehouse should be a heavyweight factor in the decision-making process of customers.

Let’s hope this bigger and bolder move on Starbucks’ part serves its purpose, and that it keeps delivering the scrumptious coffee as it already does while looking and smelling even better.